Death Eaters: Nature’s Scavengers by Kelly Milner Halls - ADVISABLE

Death Eaters: Nature’s Scavengers by Kelly Milner Halls. NON-FICTION. Millbrook Press (Learner), 2019. 9781512482003

BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3), EL - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

The introduction of this book explains that death is a necessary part of life and even more necessary is a system to get rid of all the bodies left from death. The subsequent chapters each cover different groups of animals that eat dead animals - insects, mammals, birds, and fish. Each page contains at least one illustration and each spread has at least one pop out box with side information. 

I really liked this informational text which has a lot of pictures alongside the text. I think the pictures keep readers engaged in academic writing. I also like the personal touches from the author, how she explains her young fear and fascination with death, starting when she found a dead cat in her treehouse. The author maintains a tone of curiosity over fear. I am going to put this in our Halloween collection, to add some non-fiction to the stack.

Jen Wecker, HS English Teacher